Highlights: State of emergency in Haiti: “The Haitian government has not taken the measure of the disaster”. Schools and banks remain closed and life slowed down in Port-au-Prince, after a weekend during which gangs attacked two prisons. The government has declared a state of emergency and a curfew to bring order to the metropolitan region, which is largely controlled by gangs. Lawyer Marie Rosy Auguste Ducena from the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) answers questions from RFI.

The Haitian capital under tension and almost paralyzed. Schools and banks remain closed and life slowed down in Port-au-Prince, after a weekend during which gangs…

Interview

State of emergency in Haiti: “The Haitian government has not taken the measure of the disaster”

The Haitian capital under tension and almost paralyzed.

Schools and banks remained closed and life was slow in Port-au-Prince, after a weekend during which gangs attacked two prisons, freeing thousands of inmates.

The government has declared a state of emergency and a curfew to bring order to the metropolitan region, which is largely controlled by gangs.

But can such a measure be effective?

Lawyer Marie Rosy Auguste Ducena from the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) answers questions from RFI.

Soldier posted at the international airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday March 4, 2024. AP - Odelyn Joseph

By: Achim Lippold Follow

RFI: Faced with this situation, what do you think of the government's reaction?

Marie Rosy Auguste Ducena:

It should be noted that initially, there was no response from government authorities following the resurgence of violence last week.

They let the gangs do their thing, who continue to terrorize the population and whose actions have caused a wave of panic over the past week.

The government, like everyone else, certainly heard the various voice messages circulating on social networks, particularly on WhatsApp.

In these messages, the armed bandits claimed that they were going to attack not only the population, but also the largest Haitian penitentiary center.

But government authorities did nothing.

No measures have been adopted, either to protect the population or to protect the prisons.

Which means that government authorities simply behaved like any average citizen waiting to see what will happen.

Can the state of emergency and a curfew decreed by the government be effective?

We really hope that this is a first measure in a series likely to restore order not only in the country, but especially in the West department (which notably includes the metropolitan area of Port -au-Prince, Editor’s note).

We know well that simply announcing a state of emergency and a curfew cannot in any way respond to the challenge we face here in Haiti.

I am talking about the complicity between the hierarchy of the Haitian national police and the bandits.

And I also talk about the protection of armed bandits by state authorities.

We know well that the curfew cannot prevent gangs from circulating and attacking the population.

Unfortunately, we have the impression that the Haitian government does not seem to understand the disaster we are experiencing.

The men and the ammunition will only stop when the armed bandits want them to.

What do you think was the objective of the attack on the two prisons?

I think the gangs want to make it clear that they are powerful.

And they achieve this easily with the complicity of state authorities.

It is not for nothing that certain messages announcing the attacks circulated on social networks.

And then, the gangs had some of their leaders in prison, so the objective was also to free them.

What will happen in the coming days?

Will the situation calm down?

It's uncertainty.

And the population suffers.

Children suffer because they do not go to school.

They are also not in an environment that allows them to learn peacefully.

We will see to what extent the government will be able to intervene to calm the situation.

Read alsoState of emergency in Haiti: the population “fear in their stomachs”

State of emergency in Haiti: “The Haitian government has not taken the measure of the disaster”

State of emergency in Haiti: “The Haitian government has not taken the measure of the disaster”

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